Second, to Cathy, thanks for joining us on our journey, too! Beeline looked good last I saw him but honestly, they've all been hiking what most consider the very toughest part of the AT. If they are still on trail after the Whites, they are considered the toughest of the tough.

Third, Happy 1/2 year Anniversary to Chipmunk! You've officially b

We awoke early after a really good night of sleep. It was still dark out at 5:30 AM when I started the water on the stove top for coffee and "goat"meal. Once it was hot, I told Chipmunk it was time to wake up. She did her usual morning stretches on her bunk and noted that her knee was sore. It first started bothering her in the White Mountains and when she hiked thru the Notch.

She sat up and took her bowl of warm morning goodness, peppered with chocolate chips. Papa Chip got up from our bunk, dressed and took Chocolate Chip out for a walk. I made Chipmunk her standard peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pulled snacks for her and some fresh batteries for her SPOT device.

Once her water bladder was re-filled, she pulled Big Red onto her back, put her gloves on, hugged us good bye and stopped for a quick pic.

After we all hollered "Love you", she headed off on the trail and we headed for the truck. Just before we climbed in, I heard her call out, "Mom, come here." I spun around and Papa Chip and I half jogged back to the trailhead. She shouted back, "There's a cool AT sign just across the roadway."

We ran up to the roadway, saw this cool large "AT" and hollered to Chipmunk to return for a pic. She reluctantly returned and agreed to let me take a few pics. We hugged and kissed her good bye again and she headed back onto the trail.

Papa Chip and I headed into the nearest town for free wifi ... which was about a 30 minute ride. Everything they say about Maine is true: it's big, beautiful and very spread out. There are large gaps between towns where I think the Moose outnumber the residents.

After posting the blog, we checked out a local event in front of the Tractor Supply store. Chocolate Chip was very excited to see some 4 leggers closer to her own size. She was curious and quite gentle and patient as she checked out this very cute albino rabbit. They were equally interested in one another initially. We also checked out a horse, some hunting dogs and a few roosters. FYI, Roosters do NOT like cute little French Bulldogs ... no matter how patient and gentle they are.

We checked the SPOT tracking page and could see that Chipmunk was closing in on her intended meet up location for the day so we headed back in that direction. Along the way, I noticed quite a few of these signs, warning of Snowmobile crossing ... "how to know you're in the great white North!" It's a little hard to believe that in just a few short weeks, this area could well be teeming with snowmobiles.

We met Chipmunk at the trailhead and were also met by the same crew of hikers who had hiked into Grafton Notch with her the prior day: Beeline, Pound Puppy and Miller. Soon, we were also joined by Uke. I'd like to say it was a party ... but it wasn't. They were all quite tired and now, Uke has a cold that made him feel a bit run down. 'Tis the season for colds and we've heard of a few hikers getting a dose of the winter germs.

We gave Uke and a few other hikers some root beers and Chipmunk arrived soon after asking for a Dr. Pepper. We didn't linger at the trailhead since we had all three agreed to discuss a very serious subject at the end of the day's hike. It was officially the end of September and we had agreed as a family to re-assess Chipmunk's hike plan by the end of September.

We said good bye to the other hikers and drove a short distance to a quiet place to park. We pulled out our AT Guide and did the math with Chipmunk as to how many miles she'd need to average per day to summit Katahdin by October 15th (the date Baxter State Park closes camping near Katahdin and the date which most hikers try to summit by).

Math is not Chipmunk's favorite subject and when she saw the results (which weren't a total surprise), she was even less pleased with Mountain Math. We let her digest the numbers; she frowned a bit and then said, "OK, Plan B." We opened the AT Guide and showed her a few different ideas:1) Drive to the 100 mile wilderness and hike to Katahdin, summiting by October 15th; return and complete the 140=/- remaining miles2) Drive within 10-20 miles of Katahdin, summit and then hike South to the spot where she left the trail3) Stay the course and hope for good weather; hope she summits before having to deal with snow and ice on Katahdin

She studied the pages and noted that she's really tired and although she'd like to take a ZERO and think about it, she thought she should make the decision now. She said she had been thinking about a plan during her 2 nights camping alone and that although she prefers the idea of continuing North, she doesn't want to risk not summiting in time. True to Chipmunk's personality, of course she proposed something different. She suggested we drive about 100 miles ahead, cross the Kennebec River Ferry by Canoe and hike the 150+ miles through the 100 mile wilderness, summit Katahdin and then return South and hike the remaining 100+/- miles that she'd leapfrog over. She said she didn't want to risk not getting to ride in the canoe because that's an official part of the AT that shuts down after October 15th. (According to the AT Guide, if the weather conditions get bad enough, they offer a shuttle along roadways instead of the canoe across the river.)

Hmm. We kind of liked the sound of that plan. So, with that, we set the GPS for a road crossing prior to the Kennebec River location and started driving. I was relieved that we finally had a plan. There have been many who have offered their advice and many who have "poo poo'd" any talk of jumping ahead (known as "Leap Frogging") or "Flip Flopping" (jumping ahead to Katahdin and hiking South).

In the end, we did what we've always done. We chose to do what was right for us; for our family. We don't expect everyone to embrace our choices but we also wouldn't dream of telling anyone how to live their lives. For now, it feels like the right decision. We were all quite relaxed as we drove the 2 hours north through the beautiful state of Maine. When we were pretty close and it was dark, we stopped in a town about 20 miles South and found a camp spot. We ate dinner and laughed easily when we shared stories with each other about the things we missed out on while we were apart from one another. Around 9 pm, we crawled into our bunks, said "good night" and "I love you" to one another before Chocolate Chip kicked off the night's snoring competition.

If you enjoy reading the story of our adventure, and you’d like to send some “Trail Magic” to Chipmunk, click on the “Donate” button at the upper right corner of today’s blog post. Chipmunk maintains a twitter account: @openlymtngoat where a common hashtag is #GoChipmunk . She (or we) will try to answer any questions you may have about her hike and this family adventure.

Thanks again for all your support,Mama Chip, Papa Chip, Chipmunk and her dog, Chocolate Chip(Tammy, Jay, Neva and Coco)

Heres hoping that this government shutdown does not negatively affect Chipmunk... just read the following (so I assume huts are shutdown)

"Government shutdown limits access and use of Appalachian Trail by hikers and volunteers
The Appalachian Trail is now officially closed across the approximately 700 miles managed by the National Park Service. Because of the government shutdown, all National Park Service – Volunteers In Parks (VIP) and USDA Forest Service - Volunteer In Forests (VIF) volunteer programs will be terminated. Therefore, for the duration of the shutdown, the ATC will not be able to engage with volunteers in activities on the Trail, Trail facilities, or Trail lands. We also are required to close our visitor center in Boiling Springs, PA."

great choise, you cant risk coming this close and not getting it done. this is just one more example of how mature chipmunk is. she dosen't waddle in disapointment. she asseses the situation, and moves on. you go kiddo!

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Aunt Carol

10/1/2013 08:08:57 am

Tom. I sent an email to HMH website, still waiting for an answer.

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Rosie

10/1/2013 06:04:50 am

Happy your all happy with your choices and am sure it's right for you, Poo Poo to sofa bound detractors!. Please take another look at that road sign you posted today I think you misinterpreted it. It appears to me it is not a snowmobile but indeed a French puppy being ridden on the trail - chocolate chip could have his uses yet! ;-)

Oh my goodness! Rosie is RIGHT!!! It's Chocolate Chip!!! LOL!! Seriously, I'm so glad you reached a great choice for your family.. I totally appreciate Chipmunk's desire to do the canoe!!

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Julie

10/1/2013 06:16:05 am

I know you are doing this for your family but I admit to bring thrilled with your decision! I have been getting nervous about the summit closing every time I see the calendar. Please get Chipmunk an inexpensive knee brace. Walmart has some for under $5. I accidentally tore my meniscus Sunday when I went to the gym and am laid up for a week trying to avoid surgery.

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Mari

10/1/2013 06:39:31 am

Your daughter is so mature, and it's a true joy to hear how your communicates as a family unit. Every morning I check your blog to read how the previous day went for all of you--I am going to miss this connection when the AT is completed, but I do look forward to the weight loss journey you will lead us through. I don't have a lot to lose, but still need the team support, and I would like to train for the Seattle-to-Portland ride :)

I don't care how she does it... any way you slice it, it's still an amazing journey... after all, life is the journey... I like her thinking, she's choosing to truly enjoy the journey and not just reach a goal... Lovin' the plan!!!!!

The good news is, that this is Chipmunks hike and not everyone else's. We support her decision 100%. That is a very determined and smart young lady. Good luck with the govt shutdown and we will pray for her to be able to finish Her hike, Her way.

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